Oil and God at the Movies

The makers of ‘There Will Be Blood’ know how to end a movie. There’s no mistaking it, the preacher was a charlatan and, unlike other movies I’ve mentioned before, the ending makes it clear what to do about it. It doesn’t allude to or broadly hint at, it says and follows through.

Although the story is about a flawed man, a loner whose driven pursuit of his life work of developing oil fields and independent wealth causes him to miss opportunities to make a real difference to a few rather than a modest difference to many, he can still claim the moral high ground over the preacher Eli, the self-proclaimed Third Prophet.

Eli’s goal is, quite simply, self-agrandizement and power over the people. He wants oil money to build his church. Oil and god – where have I heard that before? In his church, he is quite the performer and clearly loves an audience. The world of the theatre would benefit from his presence. He demands to be introduced by name and allowed to bless the oil well when it is about to be started up, thus presenting himself to his community as the bringer of wealth.

Unfortunately for Eli, our flawed hero doesn’t like demands or being told what to do. He’s fiercely independent, remember. So, he pointedly doesn’t call Eli forward at the gathering of the people and blesses the well himself. This sets off a see-saw series of humiliations based on who is in the position of power.

Although they detest each other, they do business or cooperate when it’s expedient. Eli doesn’t seem to have a problem with doing deals with the devil. In fact, it’s quite profitable. Following a $5000 donation to the church, Eli leaves on a ‘mission’ to other oilfield communities. We later find him better dressed and with a large, bejewelled cross around his neck.

A Brahms violin soundtrack creates a constant air of menace and uneasiness. It sustains you through a long build up. You’re expecting something big to happen, and when it finally does… it is somehow satisfying, despite the hero’s continued imperfection. Well worth the wait.

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